Wilfried Zaha, the man with the £15 million price tag who will join Manchester United this summer, scored two priceless goals for Crystal Palace to knock Brighton and Hove Albion out of the Championship playoffs, and to book a Championship Playoff Final appearance against Watford next week.

Despite Brighton being the better team on the night with more possession, Gus Poyet’s side failed to capitalize on their chances. Palace were dangerous on the counter attack, and had their goalkeeper to thank for keeping the scores level. That was until late in the game when Palace striker Wilfried Zaha netted two goals — the first leaving defender Wayne Bridge in the dust, and the second that saw a rocket of a shot rifled from near the edge of the penalty area.

Zaha’s last game for Crystal Palace will be against Watford at Wembley before he heads to Manchester United.

The Championship Playoff Final between Watford and Crystal Palace will be played on Memorial Day — Monday, May 27. For viewers in the United States, the game will hopefully be shown live on beIN SPORT (we’re awaiting final confirmation).

Congratulations to Crystal Palace and manager Ian Holloway on reaching the final. And commiserations to Brighton.

Here’s Zaha’s first goal:

And Ian Holloway’s goal celebration:

And here’s Zaha’s second goal, which put the game out of the reach of Brighton:

About The Author

Publisher of World Soccer Talk, Christopher Harris founded the site in 2005. He has been interviewed by The New York Times, The Guardian and several other publications. Plus he has made appearances on NPR, BBC World, CBC, BBC Five Live, talkSPORT and beIN SPORT.
Harris, who was born and raised in Wales, has lived in Florida since 1984, and supported Swansea City since 1979. Last but not least, he got engaged during half-time of a MLS game.